William a



(No Model.)

W. A. SPARKS}.

BURIAL GASKET. No. 288,189,

Patented Nov. 6, 1883.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM A. srAEKs, or ROCHESTER, NEW Yon-K, ASSIGNOR TO THE STEIN,

MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OFSAME PLACE.

BURlAL-CASKET.

' SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 288,189, dated November 6, 1883.

- Application filed August 20,1883. (No model) I ofRochester, Monroe county, New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Burial-Caskets; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of the lid turned bot tom upward. Fig. 2 is a plan of the casket with the lid removed. Fig. 3 is'a bottom view of one of the plates on the lid turned bottom upward. Fig. 4. is a plan of the plate on the edge of'the casket-body. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sec tion of Fig. 4. Fig. 7 is alongitudinal section through the edge of the casket and lid, showing the plates locked together.

My improvement relates to the means for 2o ,securing the lid'to the casket by the use of plates having a hook on one plate which engages with a slot in the other plate, as shown in Patent No. 191,995.

The invention consists, substantially, in the construction of the casket-plate with a triangular-shaped slot, widest in the rear, and centering to a point in front, whereby, if the sides .of the casket are sprung or warped, the hook on the'upper plate can still enter, as hereinafter described. A

In the drawings, A shows the casket, and B the lid, which are of usual construction.

0 G are flat plates attached on the top edges of the casket, and D D are corresponding plates attached on the under side of the lid.

The plates 0 G are provided with slots or openings a a, and the plates D D are provided with corresponding hooks, b b, which, when the parts are together, enter the slots and slide down into the position shown in Fig. 7. The hooks are of the inclined form shown in Fig. 5, and their lower ends are rounded to slide over any surface upon which they may rest. The slots 11 are of triangular form, as shown in Fig. 4, the wide end being at the rear, and from this point tapering gradually to the front end, which is but a little wider than the thickness of the hook which enters.

It is frequently the case in burial-caskets and in boxes and receptacles of considerable length that the sides, which are made of thin material, are winding or become warped from expansion and contraction by long standing, so that the sides are not parallel their whole length, and where the slots are made narrow the hooks will not all enter. Much difficulty has been experienced from this source.

It is the object of my invention to remedy this difficulty.

It consists in making the slots of the triangular form above described. The width is Snob at the rear that the hooks will all enter at that point. Then by pushing the lid for. ward the hooks will all drop down and be driven to the narrow end of-the slots, and will tighten in place, so that there is no loose movement of the lid, and the inclined hooks, striking under the plates at the ends of the slots, will prevent the lid from being raised. A suitable locking device is used at the end of the casket, to prevent end movement of the lid when attached.

f f are wide grooves or channels made in theand form ways for the ends of the hooks to run in and be guided to the slots in the end movement of the lid. By being located on opposite sides of the slot they will guide the hook to the slot on whichever side the hooks are placed. In the natural position, however, the hooks are placed on the wide side of the slots they are liable to be placed accidentally on the other side, and by the use of the-grooves or channels on both sides no difficulty can occur in. guiding the hooks to the slots. A single person can by this means insert the lid in place, whereas where narrow slots are used with no guiding-channels, it takes two persons to fit the hooks to the slots.

The wide triangular slot can be used either with the grooved plates or with smooth plates, and the latter can be used, if desired. The plates 0 may be used either on top of the cloth, as shown in Fig. 7, or below it, the cloth resting over the top and hiding the plates. One great advantage of this arrangement is that there is no friction between the lid and the 8 5' and moved forward to the open wide end; but e 1 5 same purpose.

edge of the casket in the end movement of the lid, as the hooks are so inclined that the lid rises and falls during the whole progress of the end movement, differing in this respect from 5 those devices where the lid first falls to the level of the casket and then is moved bodily along on the surface. This invention is applicable to boxes and receptacles as well as caskets. t

In some cases the plates may be arranged so that the slots and hooks will stand crosswise instead of lengthwise, and the hooks \may be made more or less inclined and the'po int or end flattened more or less and still answer the If desired, also, the plates may be reversed, the plates 0 being attached to the lid and the plates D to the-casket. The same result will be produced as before described.

Having described my invention, what-I claim A concealedfastening for burial-caskets and.

my name in the presence of two subscribing 5 witnesses.

W. A. SPARKS.

Witnesses:

R. F. OSGOOD, I A. OosTIoH. 

